The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium Co-Hosted by UCSD 2026
In October 2026, monastics, scientists, and researchers gathered for our fifth The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium, bridging scientific inquiry with contemplative practice.
From October 1–4, 2026, twenty monastics, seventy-three friends and six scientists gathered in Southern California for several days of mindful practice, deep listening, connection, and scientific exploration.
Throughout the retreat, we practiced walking meditation, sitting meditation, mindful movement, Dharma sharing, and other ways of bringing mindfulness into our daily lives.
Alongside these practices, six scientists and Dharma teachers offered presentations exploring the meeting point between contemplative practice and modern science.
Scientists & Presenters
In partnership with University of California, San Diego (UCSD) we welcomed a talented group of scientists, researchers, scholars, and Dharma Teachers to share their wisdom and insights, including:
Fadel Zeidan — The Self Dissolved into Us: Mindfulness and the Neuroscience of Compassion
Diane Gilbert-Diamond — Studying Human Physiology with Integrated Mindfulness
Dave Vago — Self & No-Self: Practice & Science
Elli Weisbaum — Fostering a Culture of Care: Practical approaches for integrating the teachings of Thích Nhất Hạnh across disciplines and daily life
Ana M. Velasquez — Watering Seeds of Growth with Words of Kindness
Dharmacharya Meena Srinivasan — The Mom and the Monk: The Science and Practice of Tenderness — exploring how tenderness becomes knowable through emotion science, interbeing, co-regulation, and true love
Brother Pháp Dung, Sister Đẳng Nghiêm, and Brother Pháp Lưu also gave Dharma Talks during the retreat.
We are grateful to all who joined us for these days of practice, discovery, and togetherness.
The Buddha the Scientist Symposium
Following the Buddha the Scientist Retreat, participants and presenters gathered at UC San Diego for a one-day symposium exploring the relationship between mindfulness, Buddhist teachings, and modern science.
Throughout the day, speakers offered diverse perspectives and science-backed research on the mind, body, compassion, tenderness, human physiology, care, and the experience of self and no-self.
We aspire to make these talks available on our YouTube channel in the coming weeks.
The Buddha the Scientist Retreat & Symposium created a space for scientists, practitioners, educators, students, and members of the wider community to come together in curiosity and dialogue. Together we are asking what science can illuminate about mindfulness, and what contemplative practice might offer our understanding of being human.
We are grateful to the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion at UC San Diego for co-hosting these gatherings and to all of the speakers and participants who contributed their knowledge, questions, and presence.
May this ongoing conversation between science and contemplative practice continue to open new Dharma doors of understanding and compassion.
Photos by Song Lu (@thatsamuellu)
